Horizon League Softball Release #13
May 5, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Wright State University senior catcher Jherica Williams was tabbed Horizon League Softball Player of the Week and Loyola University Chicago junior right-hander Krista Crosson earned Pitcher of the Week. Williams received the League's player of the week honor for the third time this season, while Crosson captured her second weekly pitching award in 2008.
Player of the Week
Jherica Williams, Wright State
Sr. * C * Piqua, Ohio
Williams received her third player of the week award this season after she guided the Raiders to a 4-1 record this past week that included a three-game sweep of UIC. For the week, the WSU senior went 6-for-15 (.400) with four home runs and eight RBI. Williams began the week on Wednesday by hitting a three-run home run in game one against IPFW. In game two against the Mastodons, the Ohio native went 2-for-4 with a RBI. Against UIC, Williams went 3-for-8 with three home runs and four RBI.
Pitcher of the Week
Krista Crosson, Loyola
Jr. * RHP * Lake Stevens, Wash.
Crosson earned her second pitcher of the week honor this season after she picked up her first win since April 19. The LU right-hander tossed a complete-game four-hitter in a 6-1 victory over Detroit on Saturday. Crosson did not allow an earned run, struck out seven and walked only one batter. Her strike out total against Detroit on Saturday was her highest total since April 5. Crosson then worked a pair of scoreless innings of relief in a 12-0 victory over the Titans on Sunday. For the week, she posted a 0.00 ERA and went 1-0 with seven strikeouts in 9.0 innings.
Other Top Performances for the Week Ending May 4
Whitney Willard, Cleveland State
Sr. * OF * Nova, Ohio
Willard helped the Vikings wrap up the No. 1 seed in the Horizon League Championship as she hit .286 in the four games last week (4-for-14). In addition the Ohio native went a perfect three-for-three in stolen base attempts.
Lindsay O'Gean, Loyola
Sr. * 1B * Oak Forest, Ill.
O'Gean batted .545 (6 for 11) and scored four runs, while driving in two and swiping a pair of bases as Loyola went 3-1 last week. The versatile senior, who is playing first base for the first time in her career this season, hit safely in all three of the Ramblers' wins over Detroit last weekend and posted a .583 on-base percentage in four contests last week.
Sarah Clynes, UIC
Jr. * INF * Florissant, Mo.
Clynes led the Flames with a .545 batting average (6-for-11) in the team's final week of the regular season action last week. She also totaled three runs and two RBI. In addition, the Missouri native owned a .818 slugging percentage.
Andrea Zappia, Valparaiso
Sr., * RHP * Indianapolis, Ind.
In three appearances last week, Zappia went 1-2, allowed six earned runs and struck out eight batters in 19.0 innings of work. Her lone victory came in the opener against Cleveland State where she threw complete-game and limited the Vikings to just two hits.
Sharon Palma, Wright State
So. * LHP * Grand Rapids, Mich.
In four appearances last week, Palma went 3-0 and struck out seven in 22.0 innings. The Michigan native opened the week with a five-inning victory over IPFW. In League play against UIC, Palma picked up the opening game victory after she went 8.1 innings. In game two, Palma scattered seven hits in going five innings to earn the win.
Kim Klonowski, Youngstown State
Fr. * INF * Canton, Mich.
Klonowski led the Penguins to a 1-4 week with a .583 batting average going 7-for-12 with four doubles last week. She also posted a slugging percentage of .917. Klonowski recorded a hit in every game last week, including two hits against Pittsburgh in game one and two doubles in game one against Green Bay. She also posted doubles in the final two games against the Phoenix.
News From Around the League
Butler
The Bulldogs (16-27 overall, 5-12 Horizon League) received the No. 7 seed and will faceoff against No. 6 seed 6 Green Bay in the first round of the Horizon League Championship.
During the regular season, BU dropped a pair of games to the Phoenix, losing 3-2 in game one and 4-2 in game two (April 27).
Butler had 20 hits in its season-ending doubleheader at Green Bay, which was the most hits in a twinbill for the Bulldogs since April 2, when they had 23 hits in a doubleheader against Bellarmine.
Butler's 12 hits in the regular-season finale against Green Bay were the most by the Bulldogs in a Horizon League game this season.
Senior Amy Hyerczyk led the Bulldogs in hitting during the regular season with a .365 average. She had a team-high 50 hits, boosting her all-time record to 198 hits. She also owns Butler's all-time record for doubles with 47.
Amy Hyerczyk, Lindsay Schluge Bridget Paine and Erin Jackson each started all 43 games for the Bulldogs this season. Alex Boros started 42 of the team's 43 contests.
Cleveland State
The Vikings (23-11 overall, 10-3 Horizon League) split with Valparaiso last week to secure the school's first-ever regular season softball title. The Vikings had previously finished second five times since 1997.
By winning the regular-season League title, CSU assured itself the No. 1 seed in the tournament and will take on the winner of the Green Bay-Butler matchup on Thursday.
In 2008, CSU did not Green Bay, but the Vikings did take two of three from Butler back on April 5-6.
CSU head coach Angie Nicholson returned to the dugout on Sunday after missing Wednesday's doubleheader against Kent State following the birth of her fourth child, son Darrian Lee Nicholson, at 12:10 p.m. on Tuesday (April 29). Darrian checked in at seven pounds and two ounces and 19 inches long.
Sophomore Amanda Macenko's win in the nightcap against Valpo on Sunday was her 50th career victory, an accomplishment matched by just two other players in CSU history (Amy Kyler & Grace Luginbuhl).
Senior Whitney Willard stole three bases last week to raise her season total to 20 (in 24 attempts), her third straight season of 20 or more thefts.
Junior Christa Coppus has banged out 13 doubles this season to set the Viking career doubles mark with 38.
Detroit
The Titans (11-26 overall, 4-13 Horizon League) will play in game three of the Horizon League Championship on Thursday as the No. 9 seed. The Titans will meet No. 4 seed Loyola.
The meeting between UDM and LU on Thursday will be the two teams fourth straight meeting. In the final weekend of the regular season, the Titans dropped three straight games against the Ramblers.
Detroit wrapped up its regular season last week by going 1-3. The Titans lone victory came against Michigan State in 14 innings. The 14-inning affair was the longest game any League team has played this season.
Detroit captured the victory after it rallied with four runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game against the Spartans, before going for four more in the top of the 14th.
Senior right-hander Kelli Short pitched all 14 innings and earned her second career victory over Michigan State. Short's victory over MSU improved her career record against Big Ten opponents to 2-1.
For the week, Short started all four games, and hurled 27.2 innings last week. Dating back to the previous week, Short made five straight starts and tossed 37 innings in that span.
Green Bay
The Phoenix (10-23 overall, 4-9 Horizon League) earned the No. 6 seed and will take on No. 7. seeded Butler in the first game of the Horizon League Championship.
In Green Bay's two previous meetings with Butler this season, the Phoenix defeated the Bulldogs twice back on April 27. The Phoenix won game one 3-2 and game two 4-2.
The Phoenix posted a record of 2-3 during the final week of the season, claiming a pair of victories over Youngstown State.
In game one the Phoenix earned a 9-0 victory. Senior pitcher Anna Bluemel threw five innings, gave up no runs and struck out five to pick up her sixth win on the season. In game two, Green Bay edged YSU 2-1 despite being out hit.
In the series finale on Sunday, the Phoenix fell 8-3 to hand Green Bay its only setback at home in 2008.
Green Bay enters the championship having won four of its last five League contests.
Loyola
The Ramblers (18-23-1 overall, 12-7 Horizon League) notched three straight victories over Detroit in the final weekend of the regular season to earn the No. 4 seed in the Horizon League Championship.
LU opens play in the tournament against Detroit in game three of championship.
The Ramblers tied a season high and notched its most runs since Feb. 8 with a 12-0 rout of Detroit in the regular-season finale on May 4. Senior Lindsay O'Gean registered her first three-hit game since May 3, 2005, when she went 3-for-3 in the 12-0 win over Detroit on Sunday.
The Ramblers snapped a seven-game winless streak by sweeping a three-game weekend series from Detroit.
Loyola posted three-game series sweeps versus League foes Detroit, Wright State and Youngstown State this year.
Junior right-hander Krista Crosson picked up her first win since April 19, by scattering four hits and not allowing an earned run, while striking out seven batters, in a 6-1 win over Detroit on May 3.
Sophomore Ellen Kresl has a chance to shatter the Loyola single-season record for batting average (.389) as she enters the League Championship with a .390 average.
Kresl is batting .480 (12-for-25) at Loyola Softball Park this spring.
Angie Funston, who is batting .456 (26 for 57) in the Ramblers' wins this year, went 5 for 9 with five RBI, two doubles and a pair of steals versus Detroit last weekend.
Loyola is 15-8 this season when it scores three or more runs. In addition, Loyola won 10 or more League games for the third consecutive season.
UIC
The Flames (22-31 overall, 12-9 Horizon League) head into the Horizon League Championship as the No. 5 seed and will meet No. 8 seeded Youngstown State in game two on Thursday.
In 2008, UIC swept Youngstown State during a three-game series back on April 5-6, outscoring the Penguins 29-6.
In the final week of the season, UIC took down No. 20-ranked DePaul 5-2. The Flames victory over the Blue Demons was their first against a nationally-ranked opponent this season.
The Flames then closed out the week by dropping three straight games at home to Wright State, losing 5-3 (nine innings) in game one, 7-1 in game two and 9-5 in game three.
UIC went into the final weekend of the season riding four-game winning streak, which was its second-longest of the season.
As a team, six players batted over .300 for the week led by junior Sarah Clynes, who batted .545. Sophomore Brooke Frydendall also had a strong week at the plate as she went 7-for-15 (.467) with two doubles and four RBI.
Junior Melisssa Marinacci picked up her sixth home run of the season against No. 20 DePaul.
Valparaiso
The Crusaders (30-17 overall, 11-4 Horizon League) earned the No. 2 seed in the League championship and will open play in game five of the tournament on Thursday.
Valpo will await the winner of the UIC-Youngstown State matchup.
During the regular season, Valpo went a combined 4-1 against YSU and UIC. The Crusaders took a pair of games from UIC back on April 11 and took two of three from Youngstown State (April 26-27).
The Crusaders recorded 30 wins for the first time in school history. Valpo picked up its 30th victory against Cleveland State in game one of its doubleheader on Sunday.
Valpo entered the final weekend of the regular season with an opportunity to win the regular season title; to do so it needed to sweep Cleveland State in a Sunday doubleheader.
In game one, Valpo fulfilled the first part of the requirement by shutting out the Vikings 1-0. Senior right-hander Andrea Zappia limited CSU to just two hits as she picked up her 19th victory, but in game two the Crusaders fell shy, losing 4-1.
Offensively for Valpo, Sadie Conner registered her first hit in nine games. Conner's pinch-hit in the opener at Cleveland State and knocked in the game-winning run in the top of the eighth.
Aubrey Sundling scored both Crusader runs Sunday pinch-running, making her 12-for-22 this season scoring when she pinch-runs
Wright State
The Raiders (29-24 overall, 13-7 Horizon League) will look to defend their 2007 tournament crown as the No. 3 seed in the Horizon League Championship.
WSU will play in game six of the tournament. The Raiders will face the winner of the Detroit-Loyola pairing Thursday night.
During the regular season, Wright State defeated Detroit 15-2 (March 21) in its only meeting with the Titans this season. Against Loyola, the Raiders lost three straight to the Ramblers (April 19-20).
The Raiders finished the regular season strong by winning four of five games last week, including a three-game sweep at UIC.
After never recording a series sweep in five years since the League went to the current scheduling format in 2003, Wright State posted three sweeps this season, two coming on the road in Youngstown State and the Flames.
The Raiders went 7-1 in League contests away from the WSU Softball Field this year.
Wright State smacked eight home runs in five games last week, four of those coming from senior Jherica Williams, who hit one in each game of the UIC series.
Williams, who previously set a school record for home runs in a year, set a another mark for career home runs this past week with 20, eclipsing the 18 hit by Kim Sycks from 1998-2001. The Raiders now have hit 62 as a squad in 2008.
Youngstown State
The Penguins (12-35 overall, 6-16 Horizon League) earned the No. 8 seed and will face No. 5 seed UIC in game two of the Horizon League Championship on Thursday.
During the regular season, YSU fell three times to the Flames (April 5-6).
YSU closed out the 2008 regular season with back-to-back losses on the road against Pittsburgh on Tuesday before dropping two of three against Green Bay.
Offensively for Youngstown State, senior McKenzie Bedra extended her career RBI record to 119 and freshman Rochelle Vanyi set the YSU single-season home run record with her 11th round-tripper of the season in game one against Pittsburgh.
In the nightcap against Pittsburgh, Bedra tied Vanyi's mark with her 11th home run of the season.
Vanyi became just the second player in school history to post double digit totals in both home runs (11) and doubles (10). The first was Kristen McDonnell with 11 doubles and 10 home runs in 2006.
